Candidates air views at Boynton gathering

Nov. 6 vote could bring a big change

October 23, 2007|By Erika Pesantes Staff Writer

Boynton Beach — Five communities that form the Heart of Boynton Neighborhood Associations hosted a candidates forum Monday at St. John's Missionary Baptist Church in District 2, home to the city's poorest neighborhoods.

It's also where the city's most competitive race takes place. Woodrow Hay, Victor Norfus and Brian Miller are competing to replace term-limited Commissioner Mack McCray in District 2.

Sergio Casaine and Marlene Ross are in the running also to replace outgoing Commissioner Carl McKoy in District 4. And Commissioner Ron Weiland, who was appointed in January, will defend his District 1 seat from opponent Don Fenton.

All the candidates but Ross and Weiland were present.

Elections will be held Nov. 6 and the change in the city's political landscape could be monumental as a majority of the commission seats are being contested.

For Myra Jones, the fear is in moving backward from some of the successes residents will soon celebrate - the opening of a newly expanded city library and the completion of the new Carolyn Sims Community Center at Wilson Park.

"We don't want to regress," she said. "We want the commission to be community-friendly."

Jones said she had expected a "dogfight" Monday but found that all the candidates present formed a consensus on key issues such as the redevelopment of the Heart of Boynton progressing and the establishment of an independent Community Redevelopment Agency board.

Here's what the candidates said that might set them apart from one another:

Casaine said he wanted to create a committee of residents from each district to increase community input in policy-making decisions: "I will secure that the residents have a voice before the commission," he said.

Hay said he wanted developers to meet with residents and proposed making it a condition of approval before development projects are allowed to move forward: "A lot of times developers come with their plans already intact without community input," he said.

Fenton said he wanted to bring industrial businesses into Boynton Beach, specifically along Railroad Avenue north of Boynton Beach Boulevard, which extends into District 2 - "I call it downtown Beirut," he said of the area being a "disaster." That area is ripe for industrial development, he said.

Norfus said redevelopment efforts would be hindered with the violence that has gripped the city. Boynton Beach needs to bring in organizations that assist youths, otherwise "we'll still have the same drugs, still have the same violence," he said.

Miller would like to attract an anchor store like Publix along the Heart of Boynton's fringes as well as continue beautification efforts in neighborhoods there.

"You have to start with beautification first, and second you can get the buildings knocked down. ... The blight should be gone," he said.

Erika Pesantes can be reached at epesantes@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6602.